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FRESNO -- Reported cases of the virus, H1N1, also known as swine flu, have declined sharply in California over the last several weeks, causing state health officials to downgrade the status of the pandemic from “widespread” to “sporadic.”
The weekly number of hospitalized and fatal H1N1 influenza cases in California dropped to 46 as of January 16, down from 796 cases during the peak of the pandemic in early November.
However, the same officials warned there is still a possibility of the virus mutating. That could result in a third wave of infections over the next several months, coinciding with the traditional flu season.
“It’s unpredictable,” said Dr. Ben Sun, an epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. “We don’t want to spread fear where there doesn’t need to be any, but the flu virus mutates all the time. It may cause more sickness and deaths, which is why we’re still really pushing for vaccinations.”
Sun spoke at a press briefing organized by New America Media and attended by ethnic media representatives in Fresno on January 20.
Joining Sun on the panel of speakers was Edward L. Moreno, director of the Fresno Department of Public Health, and Kevin Hamilton, director of special populations at Clinica Sierra Vista, a local health clinic.
Despite the news of a decline in statewide infections, both Moreno and Hamilton expressed concern that if another H1N1 outbreak were to occur, Fresno residents could again be disproportionately impacted.
Since the H1N1 pandemic began last April, hospitalizations due to the virus in California have occurred at a rate of 22 per 100,000 people. In